"Hmm, dis is quite the interesting specimen, yeees."
Cradled in a white-gloved hand was the squelched fusion tech, tightly squeezed in the fingers like a freshly lobotomized kidney. The typical green fuzz that illuminated the insides had now transformed into a fluffy, cream-white swirling around. The miniature tendrils which had poked their way out of the slit were now just pacified little splotches of white, looking less monstrous and more whole. The container holding the specimen remained intact, reinforced by a golden wrapping. Occasionally the matter would swirl inside on its own, though like a relaxed current flowing through a lazy river. It had been tamed.
Dexter had a wide eye through the glass, blinking to digest every little detail of the creature within. His other hand adjusted his glasses, holding them tightly up to his face while reading into it.
"Vith the time I had, which was little, I managed to learn a lot from it. As for the other technologies, they are still being researched. I have no further interests other than dis, for today."
He set it down on a centerpiece wooden table in the middle of the room, its surface scarred with years of use, surrounded by mismatched chairs. Loose two-by-four technology, cobbled together from countless missions, littered the room—wires snaking across the floor, flashing lights on jury-rigged consoles, and makeshift gadgets scattered about. All around him was just the usual charm of the Kids Next Door, a few of these inventions owed specifically to Numbuh Two.
Surrounding this table were some iconic faces, all of them keen on the young scientist's judgments about the peculiar item.

Numbuh One had his iconic ambitious glare on his face, palms pressed out across the wood standing up. His eyes could pop up a little above his sunglasses, blinking rapidly. His red sweater and typical fit hugged the outline of his slim body, always ready for action.

Numbuh Two sat in one cloffee-stained sofa chair with his kicks on the table, a hand resting on the back of his head while he feasted on a big coney dog. His shirt had been partially unbuttoned, his suspenders off just to get cozy.

Together, Numbuh Three and Four were projected in a hue of blue light huddled beside one another. They were both struggling to stay in the camera since it was only made for one person, yet somehow still managed.

Numbuh Five had sat down in a jet-black spinning office chair, littered with small bandages all across her body. Not even her shirt and shorts did her justice; she was covered from head to toe. Her hat rested on the table in front of her, polishing one of her pop guns with a rag.
Cree stood next to her sister in armor like a loyal knight, her arms crossed and an icy glare toward almost everyone. Her long hair hid one of her eyes, coming off as much more menacing than usual.

Blossom had a hand shoved in her lab coat, the other holding a mug of cloffee freshly brewed. For today, she wasn't in her usual uniform but rather just a white t-shirt, jeans and running shoes. She took it easy, looking not quite bothered by anything around her.

Lastly came Dexter, who had set up a small, sleek kit—its polished surface and sophisticated design starkly contrasted with the rough-and-ready surroundings. On the edge of the table in front of his abdomen, a holographic azure keyboard was waiting to be used as a terminal. In the center, a circular disk for the scientist's demonstration remained on standby too.
"It took some time, though I managed to figure out that dis is a very particular kind of specimen Lord Fuse has cooked up. They are small, made to hide in plain sight for his watchful eyes. Vill you remind them, Five and Cree, of vhat Fusion Hoagie was trying to do?"
Cree was the first one to speak up, almost immediately, "He was trying to place that thing on our TV antenna."

Even though he didn't do anything wrong, Two slowed down his eating while listening to Cree. He could still feel her giving him a look, causing him to anxiously grin at the woman in response.
One nodded along rapidly, deeply invested in this.
"They are the equivalent of radars, organisms who send Fuse messages from their tiny bottles. Vith the metal covers they have for themselves, they can simply just come off as antennas. Though, thanks to the help of this little guy, he can help pinpoint vhere they are," Dexter continued, waving his hands to help articulate his points. The creature was offered out like a little handout for people to look at.
"How long will it take to figure out what the fusion was taking with him?" One asked.
The scientist took a deep breath, turning to look over at Blossom.
"It's likely we'll know within the next two days tops. We've been working on a lot of projects, though I have enough free time to see what they are," the Powerpuff Girl replied, taking a sip of joe. "Though they don't look promising, pretty pitiful."
Dexter snorted, "Not as pitiful as some of the things around here; dis place looks like a dump."
"Hey!" Two made a face, sitting up from his chair. "Two-by-four gets the job done! I spent hours getting this place to work back in the day, and I still do!"
Five nodded, "That fancy book got to your head or somethin'?"

Blossom grinned, shaking her head, "No, he's just like this."
"Mm, perhaps I am a little harsh, though my point still stands. Sector V needs a drastic improvement, and fast. Regardless," the scientist waved his hand, acting like nothing was wrong, and moved on. "Fuse vas going to put a radar directly into Sector V, at the Lincoln residence. Now, thanks to the vork of the sisters, we practically have a dog on our leash!"
Two took one last bite of his hotdog, fighting his words out from a mouth full, "Do you know what he ish shearching for?"
"It is hard to tell, though likely I think he vants to know about our missions. The most exciting part, though, is going to be finding out vhere these little guys are placed."
Reaching for the disk in the middle, he placed the creature back down and began sticking various wires inside it. A tablet was placed in front of the keyboard, used primarily as a terminal for this minimalist experiment.
"Is there any way we can trace it back to the source?" Four's fuzzy voice piped up from the hologram, squishing his face in.
Numbuh Three shot him a side-eye, their cheeks pressed up together in a tense fashion.
"I tried that, and it failed. They act more as beacons than communicators," Dexter replied, navigating through different programs on his tablet.
"Well that's self-explanatory," One said, looking to the group. "This is what you've been doing while I was gone?"
Numbuh Two scratched the side of his head through his hat, 'Well, yeah. Numbuh Five and I were dealing with Stickybeard like you asked."
"Since we're here, what's the status on that?"
Five blinked, looking to One, "It took us a lot of time, planning and compromising, but we got it."
"He's dealt with? How so?" Numbuh One asked, crossing his arms and sitting up straight.
Two continued, "If you talk with the Eds, right now they're getting Stickybeard's ship out of the stream next to the Park N' Flush. He agreed to lend his hand and crew with us, though we had to give him a lot of candy for it. Eddy wasn't happy."
"You wrecked the Sweet Revenge?!" One widened his eyes, darting between the both of them.
Three couldn't help but smirk and Four started a little giggly fit at his reaction.

"We was siegin' the ship; it was gonna come crashin' down anyways!" Five defended.
Two nodded, "Yeah, we were all about to crash but then I decided to just steer it into a rut and call it a day!"
"Stickybeard must have been furious," One's shaky mouth formed a smile, starting to chuckle himself.
"He wasn't happy one bit, though he compromised," Five turned to look at Dexter. "You'll be gettin' those gumballs too, by the way. Put 'em' to good use, will ya? I practically busted my ass for those."
Cree raised an eyebrow, "That's what you were doing the whole time while I was dealing with that little green freak?"
"Uh huh," Five nodded, turning to look up at her. "What about it?"
Two frowned.
"You coulda said something, you know," Cree's eyes narrowed again.
Five grinned, "Girl, you don't need to know everything about what goes on. After all, I remember before this whole thing broke out, you tried to practically kill us."
"Probably because you Kids Next Dorks were trying to hog all the good stuff for yourselves, like usual. I don't even remember the last time when things were normal, to be honest," Cree winced.
Two responded, "I'm just glad we're all mostly focused on the same enemy, now-"
"I didn't ask for your input," Cree responded sharply. "Come to think of it, I wanna know how they got a fusion of you walkin' around Pokey Oaks like it's free land?"

Just before the young man was about to say something, Blossom quickly intervened and held up a hand cautiously. "Fusions pop up much more quickly than you think, and for the strangest reasons too. If there's a fusion of anybody wandering around, I don't blame them directly. Fuse is.. strange like that."
"I'd watch your tone as well, Cree," One retorted, adjusting his sunglasses. "Five and Dexter were the only ones who wanted you to show up to this briefing, and we don't need you to bring it down."
The woman scoffed, "Bring it down? You should be glad I even wanted to come in the first place to give my two cents. Otherwise, I would've just gone back home. If I'm gonna get scolded, I might as well see myself out."
"Woah woah, hold on," Two held up his hands just as Five was about to speak up. "Your input is important, Cree. Trust me. I just don't want things to be tense is all."
All Abigail could do was just be quiet, occasionally darting to her sister and then back at everyone else while they were arguing.
"You know, it's kinda hard to do that when a group of spoiled, self-righteous brats think they're the heroes of the world and just talk you down for having your reasons. What about the older siblings, huh? You have it good because of us." the woman glared.
"I can.. relate to that," Two replied. "I love Tommy, but he can get on my nerves sometimes."
Three chimed in, "Oh, yeah! Mushi's.. kinda a handful at times!"
Cree shook her head, "No, I mean it's much more than that!"
The entire group quieted down, sharing confused looks.

All the woman could do was just tisk at all of them, occasionally eyeing Dexter and Blossom for their opinions but was met with just fiddling with their machine. She shook her head and began explaining herself.
"When all of you used to be really in your prime, I had more problems than I could even count. I never had time for myself and rarely had good moments because you ruined a lot of them. High school was a nightmare, my prom was ruined by chickenpox, and I had to work with weird people who also hated your group. The only times I actually managed to find some peace in my life was when I graduated and just dropped the whole thing. I can't speak for any of the adults who wanted to legalize child labor or kidnap and brainwash kids, but for myself, I can safely say you had a hand in ruining a lot of good moments in my life."
The woman looked off toward a wall, shaking her head.
"Sometimes I think this invasion might be for the better if it's to teach any of you how to grow up."
It was silent, everyone staring at her with a mix of shock and disbelief. Even Dexter briefly interrupted his fidgeting with the device start-up just to listen, then eyed the group looking for an explanation.
Blossom was the bravest one to speak up first, setting her cloffee mug down and stowing her other hand away, " I was a child too when all of this was going down and I can safely say that the Powerpuff Girls fought for everybody . Those same adults you talk about were our enemies too."
"Precisely," One reinforced, taking a deep breath. "Many of those adults deserved what had it coming to them. Though, now that I actually am one, there's no sense in fighting as many of them anymore."

"That's another thing," she pointed. "You're meaning to tell me I get my memories wiped but when there's an alien invasion, you don't?"
Two sighed heavily, folding his arms over the table, "When the fusion invasion first arrived, that was a big topic talked about with the higher-ups. There was a lot of arguing, a lot of voting and a lot of uncertainty back at Moon Base."
"I'm sure you can agree with me Cree when I say that Fuse has shown to be a much bigger problem than any of us expected. If it makes you feel any better, they decided to temporarily make the process optional. The preteens turning teens who didn't want to help participate in the war could be wiped and sent to one of the neighborhoods where they could help on the sidelines. Those who wanted to help fight in this war stayed and refused the process, which changed the way Kids Next Door would operate forever," Nigel replied. He rubbed his eyes, taking a deep breath just thinking about it.
"No, it doesn't make me feel any better. I had to relearn everything about combat just to fight you dorks, and realizing teens can choose now isn't fair." Cree answered harshly.
Dexter took a deep breath, seeing the disc spin and start-up. The outline of digital planet earth came into view at the center of the table, gently spinning from left to right. "There is a reason vhy I refused to join the Kids Next Door. They do not meet my standards for a rational mental capacity."
"Sis, you got a point, but now we're tryin' to come together to fix this whole mess," her sister answered, folding her arms over her stomach after setting her gun down. "It ain't just about the small stuff anymore, we're tryin' to save the world. We're fighting alongside people we never thought we would!"

"Come to think of it, we could use your help," Two pressed again, shooting her a friendly smile. "I know things were.. a bit complicated in the past, but times are different! The fusion invasion is a much bigger threat than any of us could think of!"
Dexter holds a finger up, "Whenever you all are done bickering, I am ready."
All Cree could do was just stand there and keep her arms crossed, gesturing for him to go ahead and speak.
"Alright," the scientist began, placing the specimen right beside the planet. "I am going to be running a couple of tests here. If everything vorks as I hoped it would, I may get to see where the other beacons have been placed."
Three and Four leaned in closely, their faces practically taking up the entire screen together just to get a good view.
Two let the situation settle down first, leaning forward.
One didn't want to let it go, shooting Cree a sympathetic look, but hid behind his sunglasses and turned to the screen.
As the simulation began, small yellow dots started appearing on the globe. At first, there were only one or two, innocuous and isolated. But within moments, more dots began to pop up, spreading rapidly across the continents. The dots multiplied exponentially, then came to a stop as if reaching a flat screen. It was no longer flat blue land and ocean, now peppered with these life signs.
"As always, my genius rarely falters," Dexter smirked, putting a hand behind his back and adjusting his glasses again.
"Do I need to bring up about the recent news with Mandark?" The red powerpuff girl smirked, turning in his direction.
The scientist rolled his eyes, "Ugh, kill me."
"What'd you say these dots were again?" Numbuh Four asked from the projection.
Blossom gestured with her hand, using a single finger and began to spin the earth around. It was mesmerizing to watch, and fun to do, "Each yellow dot represents what this beacon says is another beacon. By the looks of it, there's quite a few all around the world.."

"Zoom in on Sector V," One requested, pursing his lower lip. "I want to see if there are any left."
Blossom nodded, pinching three fingers and proceeded to interact with the hologram.
Confined with its three-dimensional box, the image of Sector V grew larger and larger as she kept pinpointing their exact location. Eventually, she planted it from a good distance, the tiny outline of a tree in the center of the box. "Here you go."
Several other yellow dots were still apparent, pinpointed at the most strategically coordinated places all across the suburban map.
"That's odd," Two pointed out. "Looks like there's one in Endsville, Junkyard, Orchid Bay, Mountblack Head, Nowhere? There's a lot of 'em."
Five raised an eyebrow, "Fuse had a lot of time to prep those suckas, didn't he?"
"What about the civilian settlements down south, past our base?" One asked with a worried expression.
Blossom's fingers moved swiftly, zooming out from their current position and began dragging themselves across the ocean. Eventually, it landed on the vast coast down south, revealing the beachside of a continent with a handful of more suburban civilizations.
There were a couple of beacons there, too; both were equally spread out from one another.
"That ain't good," Four said, his entire face practically squeezed up against the screen.
Three curled her nails around his head and pulled him back, "Heeeey! Lemmie see!"
"Does Fuse even have the willpower to just absorb all of that information at once? I-I mean he's a hivemind, right?" One asked with a desperate tone.
Dexter turned to look over at Blossom and spoke lightly, "I'm going to pinpoint the coordinates for these beacons, vill you write them down?"
"I'm on it!" Two spoke loudly, pulling out a school journal and scooted his chair in closer.
Blossom nodded in approval but then spoke, "No, since technically this particular creature is a cyborg. This information is likely processed, probably at one of their lairs."
"Outta curiosity, I just wanna know," Five said. "Look at the Darklands, will ya?"

The scientist gave Hoagie a minute to quickly write down each beacon as the numbers started rapidly popping up, including which location they were at. Shortly afterward, Blossom hovered and scrolled over to the Darklands. The first notable thing that came up was Mandark's ship, outlined right beside the beach. Next, she zoomed out, revealing a few more dots popping up on the screen.
"They have them there too, but why would they?" Two tapped his chin. "Our bases up there are already in a chokehold with how he's running things."
The Powerpuff girl bit her lower lip, squinting her eyes, "Mm, I know where this is going. That's probably the control center."
"If I recall correctly, that's in.. Hero's Hollow." One exclaimed.
Dexter rubbed his chin, the coordinates appearing. A large jumble of them were crammed together, the numbers overlapping one another like a glitch. "Vait, that doesn't seem right."
The young man bent over, spreading his fingers, and focused specifically on Hero's Hollow. He continued enhancing it further and further until the roads could be visible. When it hit him, he just sat back and crossed his arms.
"Yeah, I think she's right," Cree finally said something after her long silence, leaning forward and putting her hands on the table. "Look at how many of them there are.."
"We can't just let this go; we've gotta do something about this, mate!" Four screamed from the mic, fighting with Three just to get enough space to look at it from afar.
One finally pulled up a chair and took a seat. His head rested on his knuckles while staring at this in deep thought, currently not saying anything.
"Yeah, if we don't do anything about this, it's gonna get worse!" Three followed up. "Tell us where the one is at here and we'll squish it! I don't care if it's one, five, or ten of them!"
Two nodded, "Yeah, ten- tickles !"

The room grew silent.

Both Five and Cree shot him a glare.
One shook his head and let out a sigh.
"Oooh for the love of-" Four smacked his head.
Three snickered just a little bit, holding up a green sweater hand to her mouth.
Blossom and Dexter both just shook their heads.
"Dat vasn't even good."
"What? I thought it was the perfect time!" Two shrugged, smiling dumbly.
Five sniffled, "Shaddup, before I knock yo ass out."
"Alright, well, I can't believe I'm saying this," One turned to look at the rest of the group and smacked his fist on the table. "I am officially assembling Sector V to take out those signals!"
Blossom's eyes widened at this prospect, lifting her hands and stammered, "A-Are you sure?"
"Everyone has played their roles excellently since the invasion began, but it has come to my attention that we now have an opportunity to go after that green schmuck," Nigel got out of his seat, scooting it in. He couldn't contain himself, beginning to pace left and right in his position. "Arguing with Cree has made me realize: if we're going to take up the mantle of this war, we need to step in and start taking action!"
Two tapped his lower lip, "How are we gonna do that, exactly?"
"Numbuh Two, Numbuh Five, you are going with me to get a S.C.A.M.P.E.R. We're going to arm ourselves, pick up Numbuh Three and Four, and then fly straight for Mandark's ship. We can go on foot from there." One commanded. "I'll send a message to get one right away."
Blossom sighed, "Nigel, that's a big operating blow for Sector V and the Jungle outpost. I won't stop you from making your call, but this is bold. We don't even really know what that signal even is, plus if it stirs up Fuse-"
"Blossom, as much as I respect your leadership and intelligence, look around you," he gestured. "Sector V is spotless. The infected zones around the suburbs have been taken care of, and even Townsville cleaned itself up. Now is more than ever to take the time to take risks before more hordes of fusion monsters show up."

Numbuh Five tilted her head, "I told y'all we shoulda been on this a long time ago. It's about time we get this whole operation goin'."
"If we're leaving Sector V, I'll have to appoint someone to take my place while I'm gone. I don't want to leave Blossom all by herself for the work," Two explained, scratching the back of his head.
Dexter shrugged, "There are plenty of candidates who vould be villing to take your place since this whole plan is temporary. You all von't take long in the Darklands, will you?"
"Unless something comes up, I doubt it," Numbuh One replied boldly, glaring.
The red powerpuff girl picked up her mug of cloffee, looking down at the liquid inside and began to swirl it, "Our work never stops, unfortunately."
"Well, we can't forget to take Murphy's law into account," Two replied matter-of-factly, holding up a finger while exchanging looks with everybody. "We should plan ahead of time in case."
One nodded, "Good thinking, Number Two. We need someone with good leadership, someone who can handle two-by-four technology, someone who doesn't go down without a fight."
"Egh, two-by-four. Count me out, agent," Dexter refused, adjusting the projector and began bundling all of the wires coiled around his end of the table. "I have plenty of new toys to test out and can't be bothered to spare you any leadership."
"I may also be somewhat absent, though will do my best," Blossom quickly replied after that. "Something has caught my attention and I'm sending Buttercup to investigate it. I would nominate Bubbles, but I don't think Sector V would be up her alley.."

"After givin' it some thought, I have a pretty good idea of who it could be."

Everyone at the table turned to look down at Numbuh Five. The girl scooped up her hat and fixed it on her head, posing like a mysterious stranger in the corner booth. She puffed out her lower lip, holding her breath and kicked her feet up on the wooden table.
"Go on," One nodded a permission.
Five lifted a finger, trailing it all across the table like an omen. It started left, darting between Numbuh Three and Four. Next came Two, then One. Then it passed Blossom, hopping from Dexter.

Her finger finally landed on none other than her sister, who kept her stoic stance.

"What?" Cree questioned. She shook her head and immediately uncrossed her arms, "Oh hell no, don't point at me. I don't wanna put up with any more of your stupid antics than I already have to."
Two's grin widened over his face, upon remembering something said a while ago, "Wait! That actually might work!"
"Am I missing something here?" Dexter raised an eyebrow. "All of you were just arguing about your stuuuupid antics years ago."
One made a gesture toward Cree, replying, "Number Five's older sister used to work for the Kids Next Door. She was the original leader of the tree house, up until she turned thirteen. That's when her memories were wiped."
"I don't intend on going back, so you can forget about it," Cree glared.
Blossom's eyebrows furrowed, her face shifting into a frown as she spoke up, "Cree, if they say you're the perfect candidate, I trust them. I don't have any problems working by your side if that's what you're concerned about."
The woman waved a metallic black hand, "I ain't concerned about working with you; I'm concerned about working with them . That's another thing: you all expect me to just want to come to your side after all the torment you've given me?"
"Cree, we don't want it to be intended like that. Yes, we've had our quarrels, but there's no point in holding onto that anymore. Many of the Kids Next Door's enemies have come together to unite against the fusion invasion. Adults and children are doing what they can to finally unite."
Four held up a fist in the air, "If not just them, everyone!"
The scientist raised an eyebrow and rebutted, "You all are adults, are you not?"
"Yes, thanks to the unique scenario the Kids Next Door is in," One answered, holding up a finger. "We may not be children anymore, but we still fight for them."

"C'mon, sis, it won't be no trouble!" Five reassured onto her arm, tugging at it, and looked up at her. "Promise!"
Cree yanked her arm away from Numbuh Five, that feeling of being cornered starting to build up. She got worried, looking between everybody who was staring at her. That social anxiety began to kick in, though she swallowed her pride and began to speak, "Fine, I'll humor you. What if I take up this offer? What'll happen to me?"
"I can answer that!" Two held up a hand. "You'll be taking my place and will be in charge of assigning orders to groups of both Kids Next Door and earth's forces. Some of our planes and units will be under your command too, so think of yourself like a little general pretty much! The only downside is that a lot of stuff tends to break down and there are a lot of orders that go in every day; you and Blossom would need to assign which groups will be going where to track down those beacons."
Blossom took a sip of cloffee, setting the mug back down, "To follow up, it isn't a lot of work. Most of it is just telling the ranger and squad leaders what you want or expect, and they just take it from there. You and I will be the Sector V leaders and will have to answer any meetings while the group is away; otherwise, it's not a whole lot. The pay is pretty good too, if that matters."

"And if I refuse?" Cree raised an eyebrow.
Two shrugged, "Then we'll have to find someone else to take my place."
Cree folded her arms, her gaze drifting to the holographic planet dotted with yellow threats. She despised the Kids Next Door and everything they stood for. Their missions, their rules, and their idealistic views on childhood had always been a thorn in her side. Now, they wanted her to lead them? The very idea was just.. absurd. Yet, she couldn't deny the urgency of the situation; the invasion was getting worse.
Granted they may have always been a nuisance, but they were right about one thing: she was a natural leader. When the teens and kids were battling one another, many of her underlings barely listened. Most of the time, she had to get things done herself or go solo. To think: having an entire military under her command and no one would have to question it was very enticing, but of mostly kids and teens. Would those snot-nosed brats even listen to a word she said, or would she get to choose?
She glanced at Numbuh Five, seeing the earnest hope in her sister's eyes.

Maybe, just maybe, this was an opportunity to be powerful. Just to get a taste of it, one more time.

"Alright," she said finally, her voice steady. "I'll do it. But don't expect me to play by all your rules."
The tense celebration upon hearing those words was palpable, though Numbuh One quickly inserted himself. Reaching from the other side of the table, he extended a hand and lowered his sunglasses. His eyes held onto hers firmly, giving an optimistic look.
Cree gripped his tightly, narrowing her eyes. The raw strength in her grasp practically shifted his bones, causing One to bite his lower lip. It was very painful, to realize what she was exactly doing to it.
"Ack, okay! We shook on it-" One yanked his hand back, rubbing on it.
The woman smirked, putting her hands on her hips, and struck a pose.
"We'll arrange the necessary work for you once we've gotten ourselves situated," Two said with a smile, then turned to the powerpuff girl. "You want me to handle the paperwork?"
She sighed, "Please, if it's not too much to ask."
Two gave a thumbs up, just as Five spoke up, "When are headin' out?"
"As soon as possible," One issued, turning to look at the holograms beside him. "Numbuh Three, Numbuh Four, you will need to find someone to take your post while you're away. Otherwise, that responsibility will fall onto Blossom and Cree. Surely you can do that, can't you?"
Three saluted with her sleeve, "Yes sir! We'll get right on it! I just know the perfect person."
"Oooh no! If it's who I think it is, no way!" Four screamed from the mic, glaring. " I'll be picking who's gonna hold down the fort! Not you!"
The other girl glared, "Hey! Not fair! We're both the leaders here, you know!"
"Are you crazy? It's always been me!" Four argued.
One waved a finger, "That's enough! Comprise and get on with it; we will see you soon! Dismissed!"
"Yes, Numbuh One," Three sighed.
"Yes, sir," Four huffed. "Jungle outpost, out."
Their interface shut off, leaving the room a little emptier.

The leader of Sector V took off his sunglasses, reaching into his pocket and drew a silver-lined handkerchief. He wiped his brow, brushed over his eyes, and cleared his throat before stowing it away, "Those two can be a real handful at times."
"I vill admit that you have more patience than I do," Dexter adjusted his glasses again, the light causing a lens to flare. "Deedee was a handful at times. Somehow she still is."
When the two briefly began their discussions, Numbuh Two turned to both Five and Cree. He got up from his seat, seeing the ordeal of this brief meeting begin to die down, and started his way over. "Can you finally believe it? Sector V is getting back together again, fully! This is kind of exciting, I have to admit."
"Yeah, I didn't think it'd happen," Abigail replied, picking up one of her pistols and pulling out a magazine to count its bullets. "But it did."
Cree rolled her eyes, "I don't understand why you wanna trust me with this. I don't think I ever will."
"Cree, things are much different now," Two replied with his empathetic smile, reaching a hesitating hand out. Eventually, he subsided, putting it on Five's shoulder instead. "I know you're wise enough to know that putting aside differences and giving up old problems is important. Besides, I think you'd make a great addition to working with us here."
No matter how hard the woman tried to stay stiff, she couldn't. She just frowned, staring at him, "R-Really? You think so?"
"Yeah!" his smile widened even more. "I can't wait to see how you'd do in battle if you end up getting into one!"
Cree grinned a little, running a hand through her hair, "Well, yeah. It took a lot of time just to get my skills back."
"You betta shut yo mouth before I do it for you, boy," Five lifted her hat, revealing a pair of equally menacing eyes. "You got somethin' else sweet to say to her, say it."
Two lifted his hand off her shoulder, chuckling awkwardly, and rubbed the back of his head, "W-Well! Not like that! It's just nice getting to fight with Cree and not against her, you know? Aheheh.."
"That's what I thought," Five scoffed, lowering her hat back down again.
After a brief moment, he followed up, "Well, anyway, what I mean to say is it's good to get to work with you Cree. Glad to have ya on the team."
She replied, "What am I gonna need to know?"
Two waved a hand nonchalantly, "I'll send you an email with all the stuff you need to know, keep a comm on me while we're there. Unless the signal's a bit shoddy, I'll answer all the questions you might have. You can also follow up with Blossom too."

At the mention of her name, she lifted her head and took a few steps forward, "You need something?"
"Oh, I was just mentioning to Cree about if she had any questions."
The woman nodded and smiled, "Yeah! I'm popping in between Sector V and Dexlabs currently, but I'll always be free if you need some help! Especially if you're taking Hoagie's place, there will be a couple of things you'll need to know."
Blossom lifted her mug, taking in a good sip of joe.
"But that's for later. We'll get there, though."
The older Lincoln sister darted between the two of them, taking in their warm approach, and nervously rubbed the side of her arm. She felt like a fish out of water, unsure of how to proceed. "I.. uhm.. yeah, I will. I don't think it's anything I can't handle."
Five lifted her head, "The only thing you can't handle is rejection. Aheheh-"

Smack!

"Oof!" Five puffed out her breath, hunching forward. Cree jammed her fist in her sister's stomach with rejuvenated friendliness.
"Right! I'll try to keep my head up! Thank you for the introduction~!"

Meanwhile, back on the other side of the table, One reached out a hand to shake Dexter's. "I appreciate the work you do for Sector V and its agents, Mcpherson. Some of your recently constructed weapons have worked wonders for us."
"Of course, Nigel. That is vhat I do for a living; remember, between both Mandark and I, dat I am the superior inventor." Dexter replied with a smirk, gripping his hand firmly.
Nigel let go, crossing his arms, "Speaking of, I'd like to ask, any updates you have for us about some of the journal's inventions?"
"Yeeees, yes I believe I do have one for you," Dexter nodded, packing up shop. He was diligent but careful with his work, leaving the only thing on the table to be the purified beacon in case anyone else wanted to say it.

The scientist smirked, "Tell me agent, have you ever heard of an initiative referred to as 'Project Exonaut'?"

Sector V's leader scratched his chin, narrowing his eyes in deep thought. Though eventually, he gave in, "No, I don't think I have."
"I believe that it is not a Kids Next Door operation but rather something much bigger," Dexter continued, lifting his tablet and reaching for his keyboard. "The journal had a very extensive, complex bundle of blueprints dedicated to building an entire line of mechs. The longer ve spend fighting in this war, the more time I have to test and stockpile these."
Nigel raised an eyebrow, "Is Sector V expected to be commissioning these?"
"No," the scientist shook his head, briefing gazing at him. "Ve are in the early stages of development, so they are up for grabs from anyone. Think of them like, erm.. who is dat guy vith the armor? The time traveler?"
"The time traveler," One nodded his head. "That's all I remember about him."
Dexter began typing away, "Vell, regardless, they are like his suit but much bigger. I plan to create an entire platoon of these, then begin training to prepare for a counter-assault against Fuse. That book.. is like a cheat code."
"What all is exactly in that book anyways, Dexter?" One asked suspiciously. "I've spent years trying to find it, and I'd like to get some answers. If we can't figure out who Rick is, we can at least discover what this book is made of."
The scientist nodded, "You deserve to know its contents, sure. Most of it involves an improvement to our quality of life, weapons, mechs, and ships, as vell as relying on fusion matter as a power source. Whoever wrote dis book.. Rick? He is a revolutionary genius; the last few months of studying and crafting from this has made my work look.. well, amateur. Ve could colonize entire planets if we absorb planet fusion as a resource."
"So you're saying.." Nigel squinted.
Dexter looked up, "If ve win, we vill have the biggest resource haul to purify in this side of the galaxy . This fight is so much more than our survival. I see why Fuse is so adamant, now. If we lose, it is catastrophic; but if ve win, earth will enter into a new technological era."

Nigel widened his eyes, the grip on his sunglasses easing just a little bit as he zoned out. The thought of it was almost maddening, yet enticing all the same. Like taking a first bite of an addicting nectar, his head went numb. His eyes just looked down to the floor, "Is this just.. one big resource war?"
"To some aspect, precisely," Dexter snickered at his response, acting nonchalant. He was amused. "Vith our research at Foster's Home, imaginary energy has been shown to cleanse fusion matter. I'm afraid ve don't have a much more precise explanation on it, other than knowing dat Fuse is almost powerless against it. So long as we continue to convert fusion matter, we have a massive supply at our disposal."
The KND agent just took in this information, doing his best to understand it. His mind was in the process of an uphill battle, fighting to comprehend this logic. "Well, surely there must be a downside to this, right? If the book praises fusion matter so much, what's the drawback?"
"The drawback?" Dexter blinked, standing stiff over the table. "Fusion matter is finite. Unless we find a way to make it into renewable energy, planet fusion is the only known source for it."
The scientist waved a hand, shutting off the tablet, and stowed it away with the rest of his technology.
"That is a conversation for another time, assuming dat ve win the war with Fuse. For now, I vill focus on creating more technologies and weapons for a bleeding edge," The young scientist nodded his head, throwing up a big chrome-white backpack over his shoulders. "You want my input? Don't lose."

Don't lose.

"Well that's easier said than done," One lowered his head again and just stared at the table, watching the beacon on the table. Instead of crossing his arms, he pushed his fists into his pockets.
Dexter grinned, "I'll be seeing you later, Number One. By the time you shall see me again, I vill have a new toy for you to play with. Hopefully, that is vhat you were wanting to hear, yes?"
"You know, there's an old saying I heard from one of the tweens of the Kids Next Door when I was little. It stuck with me," Nigel spoke, lifting his head with a grin.
The scientist raised an eyebrow, "Vhat is it?"
"The armor that is shined is deceitful, but the armor with marks and tears shows its worth."
Dexter chuckled, a sound that soon turned into a full laugh. "I like dat, Nigel. Maybe I should start making my inventions look more... experienced."
Nigel laughed along with him, the tension in the room dissipating slightly. "Just don't make them fall apart on the first mission, Dexter."
The two shared a moment of levity, their laughter echoing in the briefing room. For a brief moment, amidst the urgency and the impending war, they found solace in each other's company.
The rest of the group on the other side of the table paused their discussion, looking over at them with confused looks. Both Nigel and Dexter had an arm around each other, bouncing off of each other's laughs like a game of pong.

"What's so funny?" Blossom inquired, raising a judgmental eyebrow.
Dexter waved a hand, letting out a sigh and shook his head, "Nothing hurtful, Utonium. Don't worry about it."
"Numbuh Two, Numbuh Five, best say your goodbyes. Unless you have any more missions for tonight?" One immediately regained his posture, puffing out his chest.
Two shook his head, "Nah, I don't think so. Handling Stickybeard was our last mission, I think."
"Yeah, same here," Five jumped along. "You want us to meet you outside?"
Nigel nodded, "Affirmative, I'll call that S.C.A.M.P.E.R. for us while you do."
"Yes sir!" Two gave a full salute.
Dexter grabbed onto his backpack straps like a school kid blinking once, "Are you ready to go, Blossom? I think ve worked up Sector V more than I expected."
"Yep! I'm good to go," she said, turning to the other three. "Best of luck to you both on your trip. I'll be rooting for you here or in a lab somewhere."
Five got up from her seat, chuckling along and quickly gave Blossom a hug, "Girl, you and me gotta get some Morbucks sometime. We ain't had a good talk in some time, ya know?"
"Oh, right! Aheheh," The girl hugged her back, patting her a couple of times before letting go. "We'll do it once you get back, alright? I'll see if my sisters can tag along. Maybe Cree could join us too?"
Cree held a hand up, quite flustered, "I.. uh, don't know yet. We'll get there where we get there, alright?"
"No rush," Blossom smiled warmly. Her face beamed, the makeup making her seem heavenly. "You're welcome to join us though, whenever."
The Lincoln sister averted her gaze for a moment, doing her best to remain polite, "Well thanks anyway. We'll see."
Numbuh Two scooted his chair in and walked over, holding his arms out for a hug, "See you soon, Blossom! Don't get too rowdy without me at the fort, ya hear?"
"Right, whatever Hoagie," Blossom laughed, gently hovering over and wrapping her arms around him. He had a lot of fat, making him much more huggable. "If I get into any crazy shenanigans, I'll be sure to tell you first. You know me best: dull, all work and no play Blossom Utonium."
Two gave her a tight squeeze, then let go and put his hands on his hips, "Do me a favor and take a break sometimes, maybe relax at Bravo Beach for a day? Just for me!"
"I can't make any promises," she sighed. "Though I'll try. See you guys later."
Grabbing the rest of the mundane items Dexter left behind, she tucked them in her coat pockets and began to head toward the exit with him. For one moment they were in the treehouse together, and then the next: gone with barely a trace of them left.

Moving their way out of the interior of their base, the rest of the group stepped out into the crisp and fresh morning air. The front lawn of the Sector V tree house was a bustling hub of activity. A well-worn path, trampled by countless feet, mixed with the vibrant grass gave One in particular a sense of nostalgia from a day when he was younger.
Agents moved to and from the towering structure, gathering the necessary supplies and gear for their fights ahead. The tree house itself loomed overhead, a magnificent construction of wood and ingenuity. Its sprawling branches supported multiple platforms, connected by rope bridges and ladders, all buzzing with the early risers. Various gadgets and contraptions were mounted along the exterior, each serving a specific purpose as a main headquarters.
More specifically, beside the front door, a towering mechanical contraption was swarmed by a group of agents. Its control panel blinked with multicolored lights, several terminals on display for interaction. On the very top itself, a digital outline of a planet surrounded by a ring served as its symbol. The Nano Station was currently in use, with many outlines and images of tiny chibis being transferred like computer files.
Stationed beside the lawn were a handful of urban rangers, going through checks with one another and sorting through supply runs coming in and out. Crates seemed to be piling up, and the interns fresh to the fight were struggling to haul many of them in. It was just the regular for Sector V, always diligent and busy in preparations for a fight they could never expect.

The S.C.A.M.P.E.R. sat proudly on the front lawn, caught in Numbuh One's eyes first. More importantly, a tall and athletic girl stood idly beside it with her arms crossed. She had the standard issue uniform for the urban rangers, except she had a military green jacket wrapped around her like a blanket. It was coated with both patches and medals, indicating her status as a veteran of earth's forces.
A hand brushed away from her chestnut brown hair, swaying smoothly past her pale olive neck. She seemed calm, yet determined. That was until she noticed One, to which she promptly called out, "Nigel!"
The agent nodded his head back, picking up the pace a little bit, "Ranger Melissa! Good to see you again."
"Good to see you too, and good morning! I snatched a S.C.A.M.P.E.R. from the hangers just like you requested," she replied, reaching out to shake his hand.
He shook it back, "Thanks again for doing that. I know you were going out of your way."
"Who's this?" Cree asked with a raised eyebrow.
Melissa stopped, widening her eyes, "I-I, uhm.. what is she doing here?"
"Cree's going to be taking my place while I'm gone," Two said with a grin, taking a couple of steps forward and crossing his arms. "You'll be taking orders from here while I'm gone."
The Lincoln girl crossed her arms, giving her a firm glare.
"Ain't nothin' to worry about, 'lissa," Five replied, adjusting her cap.

The ranger nodded her head, offering a hand out, "A-Alright! Glad to have you aboard miss.."
"You can stow that hand away before I smack it outta the way for actin' like that," Cree snapped back. "Thanks for the warm welcome ."
One stood in between them, waving a hand, "Okay! Let's get this thing going, then! Ranger Melissa, we will be heading to the jungle outpost from here. No need to get a pilot or anything like that; Hoagie's got it."
Numbuh Two stuck a wide thumbs up, sticking out his tongue.
"Right, uhm, okay. Who should I inform of Two's absence while you're gone? Blossom?" Melissa tilted her head, placing a finger on her bottom lip.
"She already knows, just put it in the logs and make Two's temporary replacement very clear. You will be in charge of helping her adjust to her position while we're away."
The woman cleared her throat, looking over at the Lincoln girl again. She didn't say anything at first, finding the right words to say. "I'm.. glad to take up that responsibility. I'll do my best to ensure she's comfortable and welcome."
"Thank you," Five replied with a grin.
Melissa took a step to the side and gestured toward the vehicle, "Well, I won't hold you all up unless you need anything else from me. I'll go ahead and show Cree around if that's alright."
"No, not at all," Nigel said. "We'll take it from here."

Numbuh Five turned to look over at Cree, taking a deep breath and putting her hands on her hips. "Well, I guess this is goodbye for now, Cree."
Cree looked down at her, speaking quietly, "If it weren't for you here, I probably woulda choked out one of these guys by now."
"Don't do dat," Five smirked. "It's nice to help, ya know? Hey, maybe you can get some action while we're away too."
When she took another deep breath, she stared long and hard at her little sister. She frowned, then looked around at the many agents around them. A mix of emotions swirled in her from being angry to annoyed, to upset, to even a little bit of fear. However, she gave in to one, taking a step forward and wrapped her arms around her sister.
"Y-You best be safe, alright Abigail?" she began, a little flustered. "Mom and Dad are gonna kill me if you come back worse than what you are now. Shouldn't even be going out, bandaged up like that."
Five shuffled in a slight panic, though settled in her arms and patted her sister on her armor. She planted her forehead on her shoulder, "Yeah yeah, sis. I'll be just fine; didn't know you could be this sweet."
"Don't get used to it," Cree let go, aggressively poking her in the boob. "Now get outta here."
The girl snickered, letting go of her sister, and took a couple of steps forward towards the others. She walked backward, giving a two-finger salute with a smirk, "See ya around, sis."

"I'll see you later, Cree. Try not to burn the place down," One said with a chuckle.
Two laughed a little bit, giving her only a wave, and stepped inside to take his place at the cockpit.
She didn't find it funny at all, shooting him a dirty look.
Five climbed into the S.C.A.M.P.E.R., followed by One, who took his place beside Two in the cockpit. She settled into her seat, strapping herself in and preparing for the ride ahead. The hatch closed with a smooth hiss, sealing them in and blocking out the outside noise. The hum of the engines filled the cabin, a low, reassuring sound of technology and power.
Running a final check on the systems, Hoagie glanced over his shoulder and gave a thumbs-up. "All systems are go. Let's get this show on the road."
With a final wave to Cree and the gathered agents, Numbuh One signaled the takeoff. "Alright, team, let's move out."
In a mock-pilot voice, Two began, "Strap in folks! First stop: Mount Blackhead! We'll be stopping for just a quick supply pick-up, then our final destination will be the Forsaken Valley! The seatbelt sign is on-"
"Ugh!"
"Ugh.."

The S.C.A.M.P.E.R. lifted off the ground effortlessly, rising above the tree house and the surrounding forest. As they ascended, the view of the base grew smaller. The agents below became tiny figures, like dozens of ants working well within their anthill.
Cree watched them leave, shooting off like a projectile into the pastel blue sky above her. She sniffled, took a deep breath, and let out a long sigh. Not a word was said, just an acknowledgment of their departure.
Ranger Melissa took a step forward, clearing her throat with an awkward smile, "S-So! Shall I show you around?"
She was about to snap, though took a deep breath. That pressure on her shoulders eased as she turned to the girl beside her, nodding her head. Politely she replied, "Yeah, I'd appreciate that."

7/7/24
We're back from the hiatus! Also welcome back too! I missed you. :)
It's time to get the ball rolling as well, and for this chapter it was just dialogue. If you're wanting some combat or action, we're about to get into a whole valley of it. This particular segment had a lot of characterization and I felt the need to branch on it some, just to establish who we're going to be spending time with. Something to note: there was a reason I picked Cree, haha. She fits this whole solution so well, and it'll be great to see how this plays out.

Now getting to the touchy subject: the Kids Next Door. In the show, kids lose their memories once they turn 13, as aging is considered to be the equivalent of a plague to them. Given the age up of everybody in this fic, I had to give a pretty fair reason as to why they'd still associate with the faction. In game, they give off pre-teen, if not teen vibes already and I felt like there had to be a reason for it. If you're a diehard KND fan and you don't like this, I completely understand. However, I can't let it not make sense. I'd wager they would still want to fight for earth, and Fuse is such a strong force that they would likely have to go against their protocol for the greater good overall.

A character reference some might not recognize is Ranger Melissa, who is an npc in the base game. She helps with a couple of starting quests for the game at the very beginning! She's partially a callback, but also kind of important for establishing Cree in Sector V.
Another allusion is Project Exonaut, which was an old multiplayer game during the FF era.